The Coming Antichrist

Just as God uses human beings to accomplish His holy purposes—and He has throughout the history of the church and throughout the Old Testament—so, too, does the devil use people as instruments for his own, unholy purposes. Revelation 13 is a good example of Satan using two individuals. We are going to be introduced to two very important personages who will be on the earth during the tribulation and will play an important role in God’s purpose and plan.

I want to remind you that Revelation 10-15 are parenthetical chapters. All these chapters cover a pause in sequential order where we now go in depth about details of people, places and events. So we are getting information, and we’re not seeing the judgments of God being poured out again on the world.

In chapter 12, we were first introduced to three important persons. We had the woman, which was Israel; we had the red dragon, which was Satan; and we had the man-child, who was Christ. Now in chapter 13, we will have two more important personages: the symbol of the beast out of the sea, in verse 1, which is the Antichrist; and the beast out of the earth, which is the false prophet, in verse 11. Today we’ll just look at verses 1-10 and the Antichrist.

The Antichrist is a vast Biblical subject. There are a lot of references to the Antichrist throughout the Bible. It is a dominant and common Biblical theme. Let me give you some of the references. They are Daniel 7, 8 and 9; 2 Thessalonians 2; Matthew 24, in Christ’s Olivet Discourse; and Revelation 13. Revelation 13 is the classic reference about the Antichrist.

I want to give six characteristics of the coming Antichrist, this “man of sin.” First is his wickedness. The Antichrist will be a wicked, wild beast. In verse 1, John says, “Then I stood….” This indicates there is no break between the end of chapter 12 and the beginning of chapter 13. At the end of chapter 12, there is the devil, the dragon. He is “…on the sand of the sea,” and he is angry. So standing on the seashore is the devil, and out of the sea comes this “man of sin,” the Antichrist, called the “beast.”

John says, “Then I stood on the sand of the sea,” but some translations have “he stood,” which would be a reference to the devil or the dragon, which was referenced at the end of chapter 12, in verse 17.

Then John continues, “And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea.” Who or what is this beast? The answer is the Antichrist. This title is the most frequently used for him, but in the Bible, it is not the most commonly used term for the Antichrist. It only appears four times in the Bible. It appears in the epistles of 1 and 2 John. In the context of John’s epistles, it’s not talking about this individual called the Antichrist. Rather it’s a concept taken from John and is transferred to this “man of sin” called the Antichrist.

The term “Antichrist” means that he will oppose Christ and that he is one who wants to take the place of Christ. When it is used in 1 John, it is talking about anyone who doesn’t believe the doctrine of Christ taught in the Scriptures. So that would be false teachers, false prophets, those who deny the deity and humanity of Christ, those who deny His substitutionary atonement and His bodily Resurrection. They are antichrist. A lot of cults and false religions are actually antichrist. So it’s the spirit of the Antichrist that is a false doctrine when it comes to Jesus Christ.

There is nothing more important than for you to be correct about who Jesus is and what He came to do. Your Christology or doctrine of Christ, your theology of the person and work of Christ, needs to be Biblical, or you are of the spirit of the Antichrist.

So this title of Antichrist is used for this man called the “beast.” Some other titles are the little horn, in Daniel 7:8; the king of fierce countenance, in Daniel 8:23; “the prince who is to come,” in Daniel 9:26; the willful king, in Daniel 11:36; “the man of sin” or lawlessness—which I think is the best title—or “the son of perdition” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

Isn’t it interesting all the lawlessness and rebellion against the established government and all the wickedness that we see going on in the world today. I believe that as you study Revelation 13, you will see that the stage is set for this man of lawlessness, this wicked Antichrist, this beast to come upon the stage of history.

So in Revelation 13:1, he is called the “beast.” Why is he called the “beast”? The word “beast” here is a symbol, and it speaks of a wild, venomous beast in the Greek. This is God’s view. In Revelation 13, He gives us His perspective on this human being, this individual, who is called “a beast.”

This is a person. He’s not talking about the spirit of the Antichrist; He’s talking about one individual, one human being, who will have invested in him all the power and authority of Satan himself. Some believe he will be demon possessed, which I think is a good guess. Maybe even Satan himself will enter into this man and use the Antichrist to destroy God’s people and bring havoc, war and desolation to the earth. So the Antichrist is a person and not just an idea.

A lot of people are really interested in the Antichrist. A great Bible teacher named Arnold C. Gabling said, “When I would announce that I was going to preach on the Antichrist, the church was full. But when I announced I was going to preach on Jesus Christ, half the church was full.” People are interested in who the Antichrist is.

I believe that in my study of this subject, it shouldn’t be an issue or concern with us. I believe that the church will be gone when the Antichrist comes on the scene. We will already be raptured and “caught up” into heaven before the Antichrist is even revealed. I believe that what is holding him back is the presence of the church, the bride of Christ, the salt of the earth, the light of the world. “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation,” so I believe in a pretribulation rapture. Then when the tribulation takes place, the Antichrist will be revealed, and he’ll make a covenant with Israel for seven years. The last three-and-a-half years of the tribulation is known as “the great tribulation.”

Sequentially, the rapture takes place, the Antichrist comes on the world stage, he takes the power of 10 European nations—probably seated in Rome, a revived Roman Empire—and at the halfway point of the tribulation, he erects an image of himself in the rebuilt temple and commands everyone to worship him. He declares himself to be God. You wouldn’t be able to buy or sell—we get that in the last part of chapter 13—without the mark of the beast, which is “the number of a man,” 666.

So don’t be too interested in the Antichrist. Everyone wants to know who he is. We don’t know. Everyone wants to know where he will come from. We’re not absolutely sure. There is a lot in this chapter that we can’t be dogmatic about. He will come; that is certain. He will be a person; that is certain. He will be wicked and evil; that is certain. In my book, that we will be “caught up” into heaven before he comes is certain.

Every attempt to try to identify the Antichrist has failed. When Ronald Reagan got shot and survived his shooting, people said he was the Antichrist. Henry Kissinger was thought to be the Antichrist. Every pope has been called the Antichrist. Adolph Hitler was called the Antichrist. And the list goes on. They’re all wrong. We don’t know who it will be, but he will be revealed. But he won’t be revealed until the church is raptured. So he is a person and he will come.

Where will he come from? Verse 1 says, “out of the sea.” In Revelation 17:15, the sea is described as a symbol of Gentile nations; that they are “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” This is a term sometimes used for the Mediterranean Sea. Some feel the Antichrist may come out of the area around the Mediterranean. But it is a term used for the sea of Gentile nations. The wicked are like the raging sea; “‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’”

So the Antichrist comes after the rapture to, I believe, a revived Roman Empire of 10 confederated nations. That’s clear from Daniel 2.

First, we see the Antichrist’s wickedness; he’s called “a beast.” Secondly, we see his world dominance. Verses 1-3 say that he had “seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” So we see his great wickedness—he’s a beast; we see his worldwide domination—Satan gives to him his power, his seat and great authority. All this is information about the Antichrist, this beast, who comes on the scene during the tribulation and makes a covenant with Israel for seven years, which he will break after three-and-a-half years with “the abomination of desolation.”

I believe the “seven heads” represent seven mountains, and those seven mountains represent Rome. So he is a Roman leader. Revelation 17:9 makes that very clear. This passage is packed with symbols, but the Scriptures I’m giving you tells you what they represent. So these are the seven mountains of Rome.

Verse 1 says that he has these “ten horns and…ten crowns.” I believe they represent ten kings, Revelation 17:12. There will be ten nations that will align themselves with the Antichrist, and he will rule over them.

Also in verse 1, “on his heads a blasphemous name.” So he is anti-God, anti-Christ, anti the things of God and the Word of God. He will be blaspheming God. He will most likely be an avowed atheist, but he will have religious overtones. He will have another beast that comes out of the land that will be the false prophet, in chapter 17. He’ll be the Antichrist’s sidekick, and he will join forces with the Antichrist.

The description of the beast, in verse 2, is bizarre. He is “like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” If you saw that walking down the street, you’d freak out. This is a symbol of all these nations that will form a coalition and reappear in one man, the beast, the Antichrist.

This all takes us back to Daniel 2 and 7. In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream in which he saw a statute that had a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron and feet and toes of iron and clay. In that vision, the king is actually seeing all the world-ruling empires from Babylon down to the revived Roman Empire, at which time Jesus Christ comes down from heaven—He is called the stone cut without hands—strikes this statute, and it all crumbles.

It basically means that all the kingdoms of men will come to an end. All the world-ruling empires, all the governments, nations and kings will crumble. Jesus Christ will return, put an end to them and set up His kingdom, which will be an everlasting kingdom.

Here’s how this symbolism works out. In Daniel 7, the lion represents Babylon, the bear represents Medo-Persia and the leopard represents Greece. In Revelation 13, the leopard represents Greece, the bear represents Medo-Persia and the lion represents Babylon. In Daniel 2, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are all depicted in the statue. That is man’s view, glorifying man’s kingdom. But God’s view, in Daniel 7, is that they are depicted as wild beasts—a lion, a bear and a leopard. The Roman Empire is called dreadful and terrible, having ten horns. One of the ten horns has a little horn coming out of it, which is a reference to the Antichrist, “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” the lawless one.

In Revelation 13:2, he “was like a leopard,” so he wasn’t an actual leopard; this is symbolism. This leopard represents the Grecian empire under Alexander the Great. The bear was a symbol of the Medo-Persian empire. The lion was a picture of the Babylonian empire.

John sees these wild beasts in the reverse order from how Daniel saw them. When Daniel saw them, it was in the order of the lion, the bear and the leopard and then the dreadful, terrible animal, which was the Roman Empire. That is how they came sequentially in history. So Daniel was seeing them in the future in history. But John was looking at them backward in history, so he saw the last one in history first. Daniel is looking forward, but John is looking backward. This sometimes confuses people.

Basically all these Scriptures are saying that all these kingdoms—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome—will be rebirthed into this one kingdom, confederated of 10 nations, with this one man, the Antichrist, running and controlling everything that’s going on.

Notice also besides his personal description, at the end of verse 2 we see a powerful deposit being made into the Antichrist. It says, “The dragon…”—or “Satan” from chapter 12, verse 9—“…gave him…”—that is, “the Antichrist”—“…his power, his throne, and great authority.” Sell your soul to the devil and he’ll make you powerful. But Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, the devil said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Jesus didn’t say to the devil, “These kingdoms are not yours to give”; He didn’t argue that point with the devil. Instead, He quoted Scripture which says, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” This is interesting, because the devil didn’t say “serve me”; he said “worship me.” But Jesus knows that whatever we worship we’ll end up serving. So Jesus didn’t dispute the devil’s claim that they are the devil’s, and he can give them to whoever he wants.

All the governments of man have failed. Even our beloved, precious United States of America, which was founded on godly principles and on the Word of God, will fail. Why? Because man is a sinner. George Washington said that it is impossible to govern a nation without God or the Bible. It will experience its demise one day. I shudder to think that I have to watch it in my lifetime. But America won’t last forever. Our freedoms won’t last forever. All the kingdoms of man will come to naught.

There is only one kingdom that will last forever, and that’s the kingdom of God. So don’t put your stock in government. Don’t put your stock in man. Yes, stand up for your rights. Get politically involved if you must. But keep your perspective and your priorities on the kingdom of God. It’s so important. Don’t get so bogged down in this earthly kingdom thinking that therein lies our hope; our hope is in Jesus Christ. It’s because He is sitting on the throne.

Even though you read of this wicked man, this beast, and his world dominance in chapter 13, God is still on the throne. His kingdom is forever, and He will come to reign in righteousness. And we, as the church, will co-reign with Him; we will be a part of that coming kingdom.

So the powerful deposit into the Antichrist is that the dragon gives to him “his power, his throne, and great authority.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, which is second only to Revelation 13, says, referring to this “man of sin,” that “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.” So he’s coming with power from the devil with “signs and lying wonders.” Jesus said, “No” to the devil when He was tempted. The Antichrist will say “Yes,” and he’ll be set up as the world-ruling power.

In chapter 12, Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth, and he is angry and is going to use this “man of sin” to bring his wrath upon this world.

Now we move from the Antichrist’s wickedness and dominance to his wonder, in verse 3. “And I saw…”—so John is actually seeing all this unfold in his vision—“…one of his heads as if it had been…”—so again, this is symbolic—“…mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.” 

This is where Bible teachers and good Christians disagree and get confused and don’t have any definitive word on what’s going on here. There are two basic views, and I’m not dogmatic about either one, but I have one that I think is more plausible.

The first one is that there will be an assassination attempt on the Antichrist. Notice in verse 3 that one of his heads was wounded, and then he was revived or so called “resurrected.” So people will then wonder after the beast or worship him. I believe that this wound on the head is more symbolic and not an actual attack upon the Antichrist.

Years ago, the Russian leader had a Band-Aid on his head, so people said he was the Antichrist. They were freaking out. Cool your jets! We don’t know who the Antichrist is. Calm down. All we can know is what the Bible teaches. And what we do know is that he will be invested with all this power from the pit of hell itself. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.”

The second view—and I believe this one is more plausible, though I’m not dogmatic about it—is that it is a reference to what will happen with the revived Roman Empire. One of his heads represents Rome. Rome will be revived. The last world-ruling empire, hegemony, was Rome. Caesars declared themselves to be god. If Christians didn’t put the incense on the altar and say, “Caesar is Lord,” they would be thrown to the lions in the arena. Some people thought Nero was the Antichrist.

But the Roman Empire, which was destroyed in 476 AD, has never been restored. Adolph Hitler tried to do that, but he failed. He wanted to make the Mediterranean like a German lake and wanted to take over western Europe and the world. He wanted to rule the world.

The children’s rhythm, Humpty Dumpty, is about man’s failed attempts to revive the Roman Empire, all of which have failed.

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.”

Man has failed all the way along.

Since Rome, there has never been another world-ruling empire. You could go back to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and the Roman Empire. There will not be another world-ruling empire until the Antichrist comes.

Isn’t it interesting how commonly today the world talks about globalism and the need to be one world. There are all the global economic, political and religious issues. Hostility is rising in America and around the world against Christians. Globalism is at the forefront. There are wealthy individuals in the world who are committed to the idea that the only hope for humanity is a one-world government.

And they will get it. After the confusion of the rapture and the fundamental Christians are gone, then—and only then—can the Antichrist be revealed. Paul says that there is something holding him back, in 2 Thessalonians 2. I believe that involves the church. The Antichrist will be revealed, he’ll make a seven-year covenant with Israel and the clock starts to tick. It’ll be the last seven years of man’s history in which there will be a one-world government.

By the way, this will be the seventh of the world governments. It will be led by the Antichrist, but it will be destroyed when Jesus Christ returns. Jesus will come back to set up His kingdom on earth.

The point of verse 3 is not his wound, which was healed, but that “all the world marveled and followed the beast.” That’s globalism. Everyone in the world was in awe, wonder and amazement over the Antichrist.

There is this huge void right now for leadership, not only in America, but in the world. The Antichrist will fill that void, and many people will worship him and wonder after the beast.

Mark number four is that this wonder will turn to worship of him. Verse 4 says, “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’” So they worshipped Satan and the Antichrist and they are in wonder, saying, “Who is able to make war with him?”

Some Bible prophecy buffs like to put Ezekiel 38 and 39 in this verse 4. They believe Russia will invade Israel, and then in defense of Israel, God will destroy the Russian nation and the world power will be in demise. Then halfway through the tribulation, the Antichrist can come to power and take over the world.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Paul says that the Antichrist “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” So he will declare himself to be god and command everyone to worship him.

Then there will be deception. In 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 says that he will come “with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Think about that: the world worshipping a man who is demonically and satanically empowered. It’s Satan’s great deception. His goal has always been to be worshipped, and he will achieve that in this “man of sin,” the Antichrist.

You’ve seen pre-World War II pictures of people raising their hand to Hitler. You think, How could people be so foolish to follow such a demonic, wicked man, who you could be described as a beast? But Satan has power to influence through these national leaders.

Fifthly, in verses 5-6, are his words. “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.”

The phrase “was given” or “granted” to him occurs twice in verse 5 and twice in verse 7. The principle is that God sits on the throne, and God allows Satan to give his power to the Antichrist. So in a sovereign sense, God gave it to him. No one can do anything except what God allows him to do. God is allowing Satan to be used for His purposes.

When Satan tempted Job, he first had to go to God to get His permission to attack Job. I like the idea that Satan can’t do anything to me unless God gives him permission. Now there are a lot of times I wonder why God gave him permission. “God, can you tell him, ‘Bug off, Beelzebub’?” But evidently God is bragging about you and me just like He did Job; He trusts that we’ll stand for Him. He’ll let us be tested and tried. So there “was given” to him, sovereignly by God and practically by Satan. Satan is God’s instrument.

Verse 5, “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” That is the same as three-and-a-half years or 1,260 days, which is the second half of the seven-year tribulation. Verse 6, “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.”

Based on verse 6, one of my titles for the Antichrist is “Mr. Bigmouth.” I can talk like that, because I’ll be raptured before he comes. It would seem that he is given demonic, satanic oratorical power to sway nations and peoples. He is given this demonic, charismatic power to sway people with persuasive words. He blasphemes God. He will be the leader of the atheistic group. He will be given power to continue for three-and-a-half years. God is in control of this wicked man.

In Daniel 7:8, where Daniel is describing this same individual, he says that this man had “a mouth speaking pompous words.” And in verse 25, Daniel said, “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time” or for three-and-a-half years, exactly what is written in Revelation 13:5.

So we have the wickedness, world dominance, his wonder, worship, his powerful words and lastly, we have his war, in verses 7-10. The Antichrist is a man of war and not of peace. In Revelation 6, when he first came, he was on a white horse and he had a bow but no arrows. So he came as a false Messiah and brings a pseudo-peace. But the Bible says, “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.”

In verses 7-10, John says, “It was granted to him…”—that is, the Antichrist—“…to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” This is not the church; it is the tribulation saints. “And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Again, this is a world-ruling, evil dictator. “All who dwell on the earth…”—this is universal—“…will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb…”—or that “pertain to the Lamb”—“…slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” Notice here the omission of the phrase “what the Spirit says to the churches.” This phrase was found commonly in chapters 2 and 3. This phrase is omitted in chapter 13, because at this point in time, the church is no longer on the earth; it is in heaven.

Verse 10, “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”  This closing statement is that he makes war against the saints.

Don’t be confused; these are tribulation saints. These were people who weren’t saved when the rapture took place. When the rapture takes place all the saved, and only the saved, will be “caught up” to heaven. The rapture is not a reward for being super spiritual. You don’t have to be a “super saint” to be raptured, but you do have to be a saint. You’re either a saint or you ain’t.

I meet Christians all the time who say, “Oh, I have to pray more. I have to go to church more. I have to be holy. I’ve got to live a good life. I’ve got to be ready. I don’t want to miss the rapture.” If you’re born again, you’ll be raptured. The rapture is not a reward for the “deeper-life club.” It doesn’t even exist; I’m just joking. It’s that simple; if you’re born again, you’ll get raptured. Now you might get raptured and then say, “I wish I had served the Lord more and been more committed to Christ.” Because, as the Bible says, “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” All your works, being wood, hay and stubble, will be burned up, but you’ll be saved. We use the expression “by the skin of your teeth,” but you’ll be saved. Wouldn’t it be better to say, “I lived for Christ. I served Christ. I followed Christ”? Then finally you have works of “gold, silver, precious stones” for all eternity. That’s what you want to do.

We’re going to be raptured. We’re going to be “caught up” to be with the Lord. But on the earth, those whose names are not in the “Book of Life,” verse 8, will worship the beast, as well as follow the false prophet, that we’ll read about in verse 11.

There is a lot of confusion about “the Book of Life of the Lamb,” verse 8. I’m personally convinced it’s unnecessary. But people like to differentiate between “the Book of Life” and “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” I don’t believe there is any distinction. I believe there is only one book. I believe that when you are born again, your name is put in “the Book of Life” or in “the Lamb’s Book of Life.” In the Greek, this verse is saying “the Book of Life,” and then the phrase “of the Lamb” speaks of those who are part of the Cross of Christ. They are born again because the Lamb died for them and paid for their sins, so they are in “the Book of Life.” It pertains to the Lamb of God. It’s not actually called “the Book of the Lamb”; it’s called “the Lamb’s Book of Life” or “the Book of Life.”

And the life there is not just natural life; it’s eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” That’s the same life. The moment you are born again, you are put in “the Book of Life.”

We used to sing,

“There’s a new name written down in glory.
And it’s mine, yes, it’s mine.”

With my sins forgiven, I am bound for heaven.

By the way, it’s not written in pencil. It cannot be erased. The Lord said, “I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.” That’s a promise that He won’t do that. Why would you want to turn that around and claim that God says, “Be careful; I might do it”? He’s saying that He won’t do it. That’s Him saying He can’t do it, won’t do it and will never do it. He’s not warning you that He will do it if you don’t straighten up. So I believe that once your name is in “the Book of Life,” you’ll be raptured or you’ll go to heaven. Your name is secure in Christ.

This is what he’s actually saying here in verses 9-10. When he says, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear,” he’s talking about any tribulation saint who is on the earth “shall go into captivity” and will be killed with the sword. But “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.” What he’s promising in verse 10 is the principle of retribution. He’s promising that God will straighten it out. If they throw you in jail, they will go to jail.

I actually wept this week when I saw the wife of the pastor from Canada, who is in prison right now. He’s in prison because he opened his church to preach the Bible and let God’s people come to worship God. It’s happening right now. The interviewer asked her how her husband was doing. She said that “He’s a pastor, so he loves God’s people. He’s a theologian; he wants to preach the Bible. How do you think he’s doing? He’s in prison. He’s in jail.” In Canada, he’s getting more time in jail than murderers, robbers and thieves. For doing what? For doing what we’re doing right now—being in church. In America, the day might not be far off when pastors, leaders and Christians could be put in prison or jailed because we’re having church and gathering in His name. Or just reading the Bible could be classified as “hate speech,” and we could be outlawed.

So this is a comforting promise from God that those who persecute the saints will be taken into captivity. If they kill with the sword, they must be killed with the sword.

Then he closes with, “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” He’s actually saying that the tribulation saints of God should be patient and trust in Him.

All that we covered is to remind us that there is coming a “man of sin.” But I believe that the church will be raptured and “caught up…to meet the Lord in the air” before that time. “And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” And when the Lord comes back in His Second Coming, we will come back with Him. Not only will God’s people be “caught up” to heaven, but we will never, ever be separated from Him again. All our tears will be wiped away. We will return with Jesus in power, Revelation 19. Then the Antichrist will be destroyed merely by “the brightness of His coming.” He will just melt on the spot. Then Revelation 20 says that he will be “cast into the lake of fire.” Then from chapter 19 into chapter 20, this beast and his false prophet “were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” for all eternity. That place is for Satan and his followers.

So I’m worshipping Jesus Christ, and I’m ready for Him to come back to set up His kingdom.